Over the last three years, the anti-trust environment in Europe has undergone major changes, as the so called process of modernisation gathers pace. In May 2004, the European Commission lost its exclusive jurisdiction to deal with restrictive agreements and dominance. As a result EU Member Statesand#8217; national competition authorities acquired the power to implement European competition rules, as embodied in Articles 81 and 82 of the EC Treaty.

This decentralisation of power means that companies operating in several Member States must be aware of each...